“Teym, where are you meant to be in a red alert?” Rommigan asked with genuine uncertainty as his long legs took a stride for every two of the cadets’ hurried paces.

Rommigan’s golden skin took on a dull orange hue in the nerve-rattling crimson lighting that rolled forth from the wall panels like a fog, creeping into every crevice with its urgent glow. Teym could feel her nerves beginning to twitch, even as the officer strode ahead like a beacon through the corridor.

“I’m not sure sir,” she replied breathlessly, sneaking small inhalations between her steps that felt more like a run. “No one’s told me yet.”

The trio came to a sudden stop as Rommigan halted in his tracks, forcing Simmons to nimbly sidestep his slender frame to avoid a pileup.

“What do you mean no one has told you?”

“Well, exactly that.” Teym fought back the desire to take in a gulping serving of oxygen. With some effort, she presented her best attempt at the effortless calm facade she had seen her colleagues wear, though she feared her poker face left much to be desired. “No one has told me what I’m meant to do.”

“Have you not experienced a red alert yet?” Rommigan’s golden features did little to hide the growing sense of worry in his stomach. Was he now responsible for Teym?

Teym let out a weak laugh.

“No! I’ve done loads,” she said with faltering bravado.

“On a ship?” Simmons interjected, acutely aware that not long ago he had stood in her shoes, assigned to USS Fleetwood in his last year of training. He painfully remembered how easily cadets got forgotten about when things turned rough. “Like an actual ship?”

“It was sort of a ship,” Teym replied, her eyes falling to the deck where her boots shuffled awkwardly.

Rommigan caught a sideways glance from Simmons as a slight roll of his eyes confirmed his agreement. Both suspected the ‘ship’ in question had never seen deep space, let alone a combat situation.

“The holodeck,” the man realised with frustration.

“And one on Exeter too!” Teym announced haughtily. “During my placement induction!”

“It’s not quite the same.” Rommigan’s tone was becoming more frustrated by the second.

“What did you do on Exeter?” Simmons asked, attempting to defuse the man’s bubbling concern at seemingly becoming responsible for the neophyte officer.

Teym shuffled her feet again, acutely aware that her answer was unlikely to be welcome.

“I…” she hesitated as she caught the eye of Rommigan, who towered over her, seemingly growing in height by the second.” I followed my supervisor.”

“Great!” Simmons cried. “Where is your supervisor?”

Teym pointed down the corridor behind the trio, towards the turbolifts that had closed moments earlier, whisking away Lieutenant Akki to the strategic operations suite.

“I don’t think I’m allowed to go where she went.”

“You would be correct.” Rommigan let out a snort of annoyed air.

“She can’t come with me, Sickbay is no place for a cadet during combat,” Simmons whispered from the corner of his mouth.

“I guess you’re with me then.”

“Where are we going sir?”

“We, cadet, are heading to engineering.”

Shashnika could feel the ship’s glee rumbling through her carapace as the bridge crew pushed her into another tight turn. The smooth grey surface beneath her eight limbs shivered with a dull excitement as the proud vessel was unexpectedly put through her paces, her gigantic impulse engines roaring through space. Not far away from their safe haven in engineering, phaser arrays and torpedo launchers meted out Britannia’s battle cry. Despite her pacifist nature, she took pride in the ship’s martial prowess, well-oiled by her and the team’s efforts; it felt like a fulfilment of sorts as they dove headlong into battle.

“Ensign, how are the EPS relays faring?” Shashnika chittered, the minute quivering of her hairy maxilla converted to Federation standard by the device that hung around her sternum.

“All within tolerances, Commander.” A Bajoran officer replied from the large ‘pool table’ nearby. Across its surfaces, the innards of the ship faded in and out of existence, relaying vital data with their momentary presence.

“Excellent work, everyone!” Shashnika’s leg hairs hummed with pride as the ship let out a contented groan once again, buzzing through the deck as she was finally set to work. Five weeks of becalment had almost driven the engineering team insane, for what were they meant to do but check and recheck their work as they floated aimlessly around Risa. At least now, they were active.

“Any idea what’s happening commander?” The young officer asked as the arachnid form of the chief engineer clambered down from the walls, sliding the relay panel back into place with two of her rear legs.

“Only that we are engaged with several targets.” She replied as she settled alongside the large table and began reviewing data with her two forelegs. Effortlessly, she folded in her expansive body, reducing her gigantic form to a less intimidating size. It was unnecessary to her work, but she had witnessed the humanoid’s discomfort with her arachnid form more than once, and a nervous crew made more mistakes. “No doubt we will have more information when it is relevant.”

“Several might be an understatement,” Rommigan announced as he strode into the cavernous room, the small shape of Jugal Teym following breathlessly several feet behind. “Several groups of several were on the board when I left the bridge.”

“Lieutenant, you have more information?” Shasnika buzzed inquisitively, Rommigan’s presence always set her hairs on end pleasantly, something about his golden hue was… appealing.

“Swarms of civilian vessels have opened fire, we are significantly outnumbered.” The man’s face creased with concern as he wrung his hands nervously.

“Britannia is tough. What are a couple of traders going to do?” The ensign at the table let out a confident laugh. “Throw tube grubs at us?”

“Beware the swarm of flies ensign, even the greatest creature can be overwhelmed by the multitude.” Shashnika waved a forelimb in the young officer’s direction. “Do not underestimate an angry host.”

“There’s something different about these ships, they’re faster and better armed than expected. Polaron weapons and shields are unlike anything we’ve seen.” Rommigan joined the team at the table and, with several quick commands, called up the ship’s shield systems.

The form-fitting shields flared and flashed as weapon impacts rattled across the ship’s vast bulk. In the safety of Engineering, the battle outside looked like a festive display, the ship daintily trimmed with flickering fairy lights.

“The Dominion?” Shasnika enquired, giving voice to the fear that seemed to hover over the crew ever since the events of the Lost Fleet less than a year ago. Converted ships were perhaps a tactic below the Jem’Hadar’s unknowable rules of battle, but all was acceptable in service of the founders.

Rommigan shrugged slightly as he considered the option. He had only been on the bridge for a few moments as they delivered their report of the mysterious ships hidden within Risa’s idiosyncratic storm system. He was not privy to any more information, having been forced to depart when the red alert was sounded.

“We should activate the Dominion protocols anyway,” the arachnid engineer instructed. “Do what we can to increase RCS efficiency and have secondary controls locked down. Boarding actions are a strong possibility.”

The ensign nodded his understanding and set off at a pace to distribute the instructions, leaving Rommigan alone with the engineer.

“How bad is it Niko?” Shashnika’s tone was noticeably more sombre, even through the translator device. Four of her unblinking eyes lifted from the table and focused on the reflective face of the lieutenant.

“A lot was going on. Even Tanek seemed nervous.” Rommigan replied in a whisper, barely audible beyond the confines of the large central console’s slightly elevated dias.

“That is most unlike our valorous leader. I have never seen him shaken. Captain Harrison?”

“Looked as if she was directing a playdate. I don’t think she is ever flustered.” Rommigan smiled, the Captain’s steely demeanour was a common source of reassurance to all the crew.

“That is not entirely true, Lieutenant. Though she hides it well, she is likely as concerned as anyone.” Shashnika’s belly twitched as a glimpse of the last days of the war bubbled to the surface of her mind; a much younger woman cradling a fallen comrade, sheltering under the arachnid’s body as it held up a fallen bulkhead. Harrison had shown fear that day, as they waited for hours aboard their broken ship for rescue.

“I do have one more question Lieutenant.” Shashnika buzzed.

“I am, as ever, at your service Commander.” Rommigan muttered as he began preparing shield algorithms for Bahir’s use far above them on the bridge.

“Who?” Shashnika levelled a long, hairy leg towards the shape of Jugal Teym standing nervously at the doorway, the cadet’s eyes frantically darting across the room as the engineering crews dispensed their duties with practised skill. “Is that?”

Rommigan looked up momentarily from the table and followed the length of the engineer’s outstretched limb.

“Oh! Intern.” Rommigan joked with a wide smile.

Shashnika moved towards Teym, her legs unfurling across the deck, lifting her surprisingly small body above the heads of her team. With a few steps, she crossed the room to the doorway and hovered over the young cadet, her array of eyes all swinging down upon her.

Teym thought she might vomit as the engineer hung menacingly above her. Every spider she had ever smote in her mother’s shed suddenly danced before her eyes.

“Come, intern, Britannia needs you.”